Funny How Life Works
by Dragoandnikki
Summary: A girl wishes and dreams for the perfect man, a stranger gives her magic to achieve that dream. She ends up... with Drago. Drago x OC (Forced and disliked by both) Rated for maybes. It's got some action in it too. It's not just a romance story. And of course Drago can't fall in love, so what am I going to do with him?
1. Chapter 1

Funny how life works

It's funny how life works sometimes you know? I woke up this morning, all alone in my new apartment and thanked god that I finally had my own room, while at the same time cursing my luck of having found a place without a roommate. I was so lonely that I actually got ready and went to work an hour early. I asked if I could clock in early and leave late, I wouldn't ask for extra money either, but they said I'd have to wait or they'd have to pay me overtime. And I apparently hadn't earned it yet. So I waited and cursed myself for not having brought a book to read or something. Then I waltz over to a table of boys that are talking and laughing, walk past, and sit down in the booth behind them. They wouldn't notice me and I could eavesdrop, it was mildly entertaining sometimes.

"Man, it's good to be out."

"Yeah, can you believe they let us out on good behavior? Ha!"

"I wonder if we can get somebody else to work for that wouldn't get caught." Okay, apparently these deviants had just gotten out of jail or something.

"I miss workin' for D-man, at least then we got something super powery to work for and with."

"Yeah but he'd never trust us again unless he was way more powerful than us."

"And he shouldn't, guy was weak, yo."  
"Is that why he almost took over the world, he was weak?"

"Fine, so he was strong enough when he absorbed the chi, but before that, he was weak." This all sounded too bizarre, took over the world? What the hell!?

So I got up and left, going around the back way so they wouldn't spot me and remember me going over to sit near them. It was time for my shift by then so I walked over and clocked in, getting out my uniformed hat and putting it on. I sighed and stood at the register, taking orders and money and orders and money until I couldn't really see straight anymore… I just wished I had that job I'd really wanted. 3D graphic artist to that video game company. I just didn't have what it takes I guess.

I was cleaning up a puddle when I heard the door open and didn't pay any attention until she came over and snickered at me. "Cleaning up?"

"Shut up, Jade."

"Oh come on, you gotta admit it's funny. I mean you swore never to work in a place like this."

"Shut up and leave me alone."

"Geez, what's wrong?"

"I don't need you telling me what's gone wrong in my life okay? I'm older than you, I've still got more experience in the world and I can tell you that things don't always work out the way you want them to."

"Okay, okay. Sorry." She wasn't a bad kid, she just made inappropriate jokes and observations.

On the way home I passed a magic store I often buy from and figure… why not. So I walk in and ask of the empty air, "Alistair are you there?"

"In the back darling."

"Kay, I'm looking!"

"Feel free." He tells me. So I walk over to a rack that guarantees a better job or career, but I want to do that on my own, so I turn around and look at a rack that guarantees a better attitude, then one that says it'll improve my health. Until finally I'm standing in front of the romance section, biting my lip. I know I've never had a really serious boyfriend, but it always seemed like they were my masters and I wanted a guy who would bow to ME instead for once.

I walked along the rack but there was nothing for that. Nothing that guaranteed I'd be the one in charge or an equal partner at least. So I walked to the back and engaged Alistair in conversation. He had long blonde hair and blue eyes, and always seemed to be wearing a green suit. He was a handsome man but a bit old for me. So I asked him, "Is there a way to meet a man who'll consider me equal or more important than himself? I mean, do they exist?" He chuckles,

"You wish to have a man who is mystically bound to you, so you can feel like an equal to him."

"Yeah I guess." It was a weird way to say it but okay.

"I will help you then."

"Really?"

"There is someone I know that would love to be bound to such a girl if it meant turning his luck around, and I think it would be just what he deserved. So, would you like my help?"

"Uh… sure."

"Good. Here, I will be right back, amuse yourself with this, you can have it if you like." I looked down at the small crystal shaped like a coiled dragon and found it… sinister. So I put it on the table and shivered as I waited. He came back with a small orb and a powder in a pouch. "Drink this powder with water before you go to bed and lay this small orb in view somewhere, when you wake up, you will be bound to the man that will make your life… interesting."

"Thanks Alistair. See ya!"

I skipped home with a bounce and sat myself on the sofa to watch TV. I was so tired though, so I figured a nap couldn't hurt. Then I remembered that I never woke up before bed time so I picked up the powder and shook it into a glass, putting water in and drinking it down as quick as I could. Then I took the little orb in and put it on my dresser where I could see it from the bed and walk over to lay down and curl up in the covers. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep, in fact I feel sleepier than I did a few minutes ago, a lot sleepier.

I dreamed I was in a dark place with nothing around me, and then there was a lighted tunnel ahead of me. I walked through it as fast as I could, I didn't want to be alone in the tunnel any longer. I walked ahead and stopped when I came to alight upon a small piece of ground that was… floating in the sky. I gulped and stepped from the edge into the middle, just so I'd feel a little more safe.

The floating ground floated closer and came to rest in front of the one I was on, then another and another, until there was a trail farther into the place. I knew I had the choice to go back, but I felt drawn forward, and the ground seemed solid enough. Floating or no I was going. I ran just in case it all decided to start falling, I ran faster and faster as the trail disappeared into the distance. I ran until I heard a big crash, I stopped with a bit of a hop and looked up to see two crystal entities smashing into each other. One got thrown really far away and the other came swooping down at me. It was a crystal raindrop, I felt cold and wet and started to shiver, I didn't like it, so I screamed when it got too close and the droplet was thrown back. I started to run again and a little crystal bat came flying at me from nowhere, I put out my hands and said, "No!" It made me feel like my heart was fluttering just a little too fast in my chest. It felt dirty and just plain gross. He was thrown back and held in place by a small lightning bolt cage. A bolt of lightning came soaring at me and I screamed again, its energy was flashing through my body, melting my nerve endings and making my heart stop. It was thrown back and I started running faster. I never got tired or needed to stop and take a breath.

I ran until I was converged on by a big group of crystals that all seemed to be a different shape and color, coming at me all at once. I ducked down and covered my head, thinking my hardest that I didn't want any of them to touch me. They didn't so I looked up and they were all flying off in different directions. I started running again and came to a giant piece of earth that seemed to house two crystals. I walked slowly forward, wary but soothed. They both felt warm and full of life energy, but one of them was giving off an air of complete evil, the other one seemed more… like a shadow of the first one. I recognized the first crystal shape, it was that curled dragon from before. It came closer and I started to feel like flames were suffocating me, so I screamed. It didn't get pushed back but a few feet. I heard dark laughter and then the little crystal flame was crashing into the side of the crystal dragon and it was sent flying for a few feet as it came closer. I could feel the warmth and the energy and it was welcome. I wanted this one to protect me, and it seemed like it wanted to protect me too. So I reached out to it and it came closer, the dragon got up and sped at us, I grabbed the flame and pulled him close to my body, suddenly he was dissolving into my body and I heard a scream of, "Noooooo!" Which is when I chose to wake up.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What!?" I wake up to an exclamation and a crash as my dresser falls over. I jump out of bed and turn on the lamp next to my bed only to see someone stuck under my dresser suddenly shake it off like it was nothing and look up at me. Red eyes greeted me and green scaly skin, and spikes coming out of his head looked to be a little sharper than at the first glance. I stared with my eyes wide and my lips tight and he stared back, then it just… popped out. "You've gotta be the weirdest lookin' burglar ever." He blinked,

"I'm not a burglar."

"Oh." That's when I screamed and shut my eyes tight. Suddenly my mouth was covered and there was an arm around my waist. I opened my eyes and I was right, it was him, he had a hold of me with a hand over my mouth. He looked annoyed.

"I'm unable to do anything to you, so shut up." I blinked, he pulled his hand away slowly,

"What… do you mean?"

"We're bound together, just like you wanted, now I'm weak to your will and your wishes. It's not like I knew what I was getting into but I feel so _stupid._"

"Wait, wait, what do you mean I wanted? I didn't want to bring you here, I just wanted a guy around who wouldn't treat me like a doormat." I slapped a hand over my mouth and he raised an eyebrow,

"So you chose to tame a Demon?"

"D-Demon?" I squeaked from between my fingertips. He sighed and let me go, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I hate new sorcerers; they never know what they're doing."

"I'm not a sorcerer!"

"Could have fooled me, what with that massive spell and all."

"I got it from someone else!"

"Did you now." He looked pleased, "Well, that means I CAN take my newfound anger out on someone." I swallowed hard.

"You can't hurt him, he's just a sweet older man who wanted to help me, he can't have known-"

"My god you're naïve." He flinched as my lips turned down and waved his hands a bit, "I didn't mean that, don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Be unhappy. God I'm so _screwed_."

"I… I'm sorry." I was shivering and felt so cold. He stood up and walked over, I backed up, even though I felt his warmth and wanted it close to my skin, I was still unsure who and what he was… well he said he was a demon, but that couldn't be true could it? He scoffed,

"Look, I don't like this either but if you won't let me hold you then you're going to feel cold and that will make me feel like I'm doing something wrong which will make you feel colder and so on. So just stand still." He stepped forward and lifted his hand to grab my arm and pull me into the circle of his body. I stopped shivering as soon as his arms wrapped around me and I felt suddenly, full of energy and warmth and… I looked up at him and he was looking off over my shoulder with a disgruntled look on his face.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean to do this to you… I don't even really know what I've done."

"You've bound me to your happiness and protection. I thought you were a portal when I tried to get to you, I didn't think you were a person. Everyone was fighting to get out, and you let me come to you, so I should have known better. Portals aren't choosy."

"I… I don't know what you're…"

"The demon world you entered in spirit form, you were a shining light and everyone was clamoring to get to you."

"You mean the dream I had?"

"You were asleep? That's a rather… unique spell."

"There were crystals everywhere, in different shapes and sizes and colors, and they all were trying to get close enough to touch me but I didn't want any of them, I wanted… well there was a crystal who didn't feel like they felt… Was that you?" He glared at me,

"What do you mean I didn't feel the same as they did?"

"They made my skin crawl with their evil and… just all around gross insides."

"And you didn't sense evil in me at all?" Now he seemed pissed off.

"It was a shadowy evil, I don't know, it seemed like the lesser of two evils so I reached out and took it."

He snorted. "So I finally have proof I'm not the evil my father is." He pushes me away and walks to the other side of the room and punches the wall, leaving a perfect little hole in my wall.

"Hey! I know this is a shock and all but come on, don't make holes in the wall." I whined.

"God, listen to that whining." He let his head fall onto the wall and his hands lay flat on either side. I looked at him while he stood there and realized he looked more human than I'd thought before. His arms were scaled but muscled in the same way a humans were. And his legs were shaped the same as a young man's. His tail was a bit long and curled but it still didn't perturb me as much as his claws and those long toenail like claws. I shivered at the thought that he could tear me apart if he wanted to and wrapped my arms around myself as I'd grown cold again.

He pushed off the wall and turned around to walk back to me, and I stayed still this time as he wrapped his arms around me and rested my head on his chest nonchalantly. I wanted to know if he had- Ba-bump, Ba-bump. It was there, and beating calmly. I sighed in relief and pulled up so I could look up, but he was already looking down at me with a raised eyebrow. I flushed, "I was checking-"

"To see if I had a heartbeat, right? God I'm not undead I'm just a Demon."

"How am I supposed to know the difference if I've never met either before?" He sighed and smoke came out of his nostrils. He blinked, lifting his hand from my back and suddenly it erupted in flame. I gasped and backed into his other arm, "How did you do that!?"

"I… don't know. My chi should be gone, my father and all of his siblings took my power from me… I don't…" He looks down at me, he crushes the flame in his hand and it goes out. "Maybe, it's you." He put that hand to his chin and seemed to think about that while he stared at me. I was of course so embarrassed that I pulled away and turned around to sit on the edge of the bed so he wouldn't see my blush. I didn't know why I felt so foolish and like… well like a teenager but apparently I wasn't going to stop as long as he was around. He sat next to me so our arms and legs touched and hummed. "Maybe in your wish for protection, you gave me the power to do so."

"To do what?"

"Protect you, idiot." I frown and glare at him, he shakes his head and puts it in his hands, "Fine, I'm sorry. Don't look at me like that."

"Geez you're really whipped aren't you?"

"And whose fault is that?" I laugh, He looks up to glare at me, but I just laugh harder.

"I had no idea this would happen but I can't say I hate it, this has been pretty fun so far. I wonder what will happen next."

"Next we find whoever gave you this spell and make them take it off me."

"Right, if that's what you want to do, I guess I can't go around making you my bitch or something. Let's go, I'll get dressed, give me a minute." I got up and he lay down on by bed with his legs hanging off and sighs.

"Hurry." I walk into my closet and pick out a pair of jeans and a belly shirt the color of my eyes, a sky blue. I put my hair up into a ponytail with fringes hanging out around my face.

I step out of the closet and he sits up like a shot, faster than I could see so he was laying down and suddenly sitting up, no in between movement. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. "Uh… okay, let's go." He nodded and stood up, stalking over to the door and I grabbed his arm. He looked back,

"What?"

"You can't go out looking like that." He looked down at himself like he didn't know what I was talking about. "Okay here, I know I have a hoody and sweatpants somewhere in here." I dug in my drawers and found them; he put them on but was unhappy that he had to keep his tail under wraps. I guess if I had one I would be too. I mean hell it must have been uncomfortable. He put the hood up and I tied it tight so it was only open enough for him to see out of. I told him to keep his hands in his pockets and then we were walking out of the apartment.

He followed close behind me, at one point I could feel his eyes staring a hole in the back of my head and I turned just slightly but his eyes were up, then looked down to look at me as I was glancing back at him. I looked forward and felt flustered. I know I didn't like him already, I couldn't, so why was I so flustered all of a sudden? Just because he kept putting his arm around me when I start to feel cold or something? In fact when we get to the store his arm is wound tightly around my waist and he's looking up at the sign… and growling. "Is this a joke?"

"It was here just yesterday though!" I run in the front door and find an empty space, no racks with spells and spell books on them. No Alistair. I crumbled to my knees. Up till now I'd been in a good mood cause… well I thought I could erase it, I couldn't really be bound soul to soul to someone without even meaning to be. He had to fix it. And now here I was, realizing I'd been conned into letting a demon into the world.

"He was never my friend was he?" I held a hand to my chest and sighed as my heart broke a little. He was suddenly kneeling around me and wrapping me up in his arms.

"Stop doing this to me, I can't always be catering to your- god never mind." I laughed.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to feel bad. I… I really have no idea how to set you free without him. Do you know-"

"Oh hell." I look up at him as his arms tighten around my shoulders and see that his eyes are closed and his skin is tight around them. "Am I going to have to go to THEM?"

"Who?" I reach up without noticing and undo the hood and pull it down. His teeth are gritted, and way sharper than I'd thought before. Wow.

"Come on."

He stood up and pulled me after him, putting the hood back up as we left the place and pulling the strings and tying them together. He leads the way down the street and over to a convenience store where he picks up a map and unfurls it. "Figures I'd end up back in San Francisco." He crumples it back up and I let my mouth drop open at his uncaring attitude.

"Hey!" I uncrumple it when I grab it from him and fold it back up nice and neat. "You can't just do stuff like that, you have to respect other people's things." He rolled his eyes and started walking for the door, I huffed and followed him, watching as he led the way down two streets before stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and sighing. I step up next to him and look at the sign. "Uncle's Rare Finds."

"Jade's Uncle's Place?" His head snaps around to look at me.

"You know the Chans?"

"Sure, Jade I met just two years ago." He glares at me now.

"Are you sure this isn't where you got that spell?"

"What? No way… Jade's family doesn't- how do you know them?"

"We go way back." He opens the door and steps inside, holding it open for me.

I walk inside and he wraps an arm around me as we step up to the front cash register. "Ah, Nicole!"

"Hey Jackie."

"You have brought a friend?"

"Um… he says you know him already." Jackie takes a closer look at Drago.

"Those eyes are… red… have you been doing drugs or drinking son?" He growled and ripped off the hoodie hood.

"Recognize me now Chan?"

"WAAAAAAHHHH!" Jackie backed up and looked around, picking up a broom and brandishing it like a weapon. I step in front of him.

"Wait, wait. We need help. We're not here to cause trouble."

"Ha!" Came a familiar voice. "Drago is nothing BUT trouble. I should know. He tried to kill me multiple times."

"What?" I turn to look at him.

"I told you I was a demon. You're the one who seems to think good of me."

"Well it's hard to think bad of someone who keeps hugging you!"

"Shut up!" He actually looked embarrassed AND enraged.

"Wait wait, did you say hugging? He hugged you?"

"He has to apparently."

"Raaah!" He put his hands on his head and roared. He looked at me with angry eyes and I felt his warmth leech from my body.

"What's the matter? Feeling embarrassed? Feeling aggravated? Then yell at me." He took a breath and opened his mouth, then covered his eyes and groaned in pain. I hadn't thought it would make him hurt. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Stupid humans and their compassion. I liked you better when you were being a nasty bitch."

"Fuck you, okay?" I turn around and huff with my face burning and my teeth grinding.

When his arms don't wrap around me because I've gone cold, I realize he'd rather die than hug me in front of these people I'd known for two years and gotten along just fine with. They were good people… but apparently he wasn't. So I sighed and let go of my anger, knowing it did me no good to be upset with him until he was unbound. If I was angry or upset it'd just hurt him. I turned to Jade as she came down the stairs and asked, "Is there any way you can unbind us?"

"Well I wouldn't want to leave you stuck with this guy but we can't unbind him. If he can't make trouble because of you, then we can't just let him roam free on earth."

"Then send me back to the demon realm, just undo this!" I blinked and looked over at him,

"You'd rather go back to that awful place than be bound to me and on earth? Wow you've got issues."

"I will not be bound to the happiness and protection of a human woman. That's how my father came to be who he is today, I will not make his mistakes."

"Shendu was bound to a human woman?" Jade looks awestruck.

"He found a way to get rid of her and I was left without a mother." He snorts, "Not that having one would have done anything to change who I am. I'm just all around angry when I'm deprived of anything."

"Clearly you've got daddy issues." He glares at me.

"And you're perfect I take it?" I blush,

"I'm not evil at least!" He snorted smoke,

"Don't I know it."

"Unbind us please." Jade turns to Jackie and they both suddenly yell,

"Uncle!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So you can't unbind us!?" Drago exclaims, what kind of name is that anyway? It's just dragon without the N. I know I'm just annoyed but I really want to pick at something.

"I'm sure there has to be a way, there's always a way to undo something, everything has to have its opposite right?" Uncle nodded,

"I could find it if given some time, but I should think it would be very hard to do."

"I'll get any ingredients you need, just undo this." He's almost begging, but he seems to be really trying hard not to.

"Uncle will find a way to send you back to the demon world and separate your bond, but Uncle needs a special identifying spell. Uncle needs dragon scale from you." He grimaced and reached down to pull a scale on his arm. He takes a deep breath and yanks it off his arm. He hisses and groans. I reach over to touch his other arm as he closes his eyes and pants at the pain. Blood starts running over his arm.

"Drago!"

"I'm fine." He grunted and handed the scale to Uncle.

"You are very eager to be rid of your human counterpart, are you so certain it would be better without her?"

"I don't need to be bound to a human, undo this."

"Well I guess I don't want to be all bound up with a Demon either." I huffed and crossed my arms, "Humans aren't so bad you know."

"They've kicked your butt many times in fact." Jade interjects.

He growls, "Only because my father was there to help did you get rid of me."

"And it was a human idea to get him to help."

"Wait wait, your father helped humans stop you? But I thought you said he was evil."

"He was." He turned away and I huffed again, turning back to Jade and Uncle.

"Well, how long does he need to stay with me?"

"Could be days, weeks, months. A year even, it could take Uncle a long time." Jade recites the times and grins as Drago cringes.

"We can wait that long, right? It's not like it's really that bad being all… well it might be for you." He turned and growled at me, "What? I'm just trying to find a bright side."

"Humans and their idealism." He was still holding his arm as it bled through his fingers so I sighed.

"Is there a way to heal that?" They blinked,

"Sure, I'll get it." Jade stepped away and I sighed in relief. I couldn't seem to get comfortable and I was getting hotter and hotter while my core got colder and colder, I had no idea what was going on but I didn't like it. He was watching me fidget with a blank face, then a smirk as I grimaced and felt a pain in my stomach from the cold center.

"Well at least it seems I get a consolation prize." He looks like he thinks this is hilarious.

"Are you doing this?" I mumble through the pain.

"It seems it happens when I'm in pain." He laughed.

Jade comes in with a brush and some powder. She dips it into the stuff and brushes it over the spot on his arm that's still bleeding and it magically closes in front of our eyes. "Wow… I've gotta learn more about this magic stuff." I lean across and realize the cold in the middle of myself is still there, it just doesn't hurt anymore. I lean back and put a hand over my stomach, "Doesn't hurt anymore." I mutter to myself. He groans and suddenly he's doubled over and shaking. "Drago?" I get up and put a hand on his back. Suddenly the cold is just a little warmer and his shaking slows a bit.

"We need to go. I'll be back every few days to see how much closer we are, if anything happens, call her." He points to me and grabs my arm, towing me to the door where he puts his hood up and ties the ties and we're out and I'm being dragged down the sidewalk.

He turns into an alley first thing and turns to pull me harshly into his arms so he can nearly squeeze the life out of me. The cold goes away though. "Drago… can't. Breathe!"

"You say that like I should care."

"J-…Jerk!" I push on his chest but I can't really get out of his grip, I start seeing multicolored dots, he's shaking again but now he mutters,

"It's worth it, just bear it." As soon as my vision starts to turn grey, he releases me and I fall to my knees gasping. "Damn it." He seems disappointed as he grabs his throat and massages it.

"Hurt?" I ask while I cough.

"Yeah it hurts, and it's all your fault."

"Oh I…_hate_ **you**." I hack in the middle of that small sentence.

"Good, hold on to that. Maybe we'll end up breaking the bond ourselves."

"You just tried to kill me, I'm not helping you get away and hurt other people, I'm calling Jade. You can just torment ME for the rest of eternity." He has wide eyes.  
"You wouldn't do that!"

"Haven't you noticed how self-sacrificial a lot of humans are? I would." He swallows hard and closes his eyes, gritting his teeth.

"Fine, I won't do it again, just don't call her."

"I don't think you have a choice, you're going to do whatever comes into your head, I've seen you so far and I think that's just your way." He breathes smoke and clenches his fists.

"You're just going to leave us like this then?"

"Sure. Then when I get tired of you trying to kill me in all different ways I'll send you to the demon world, still bound up to me." He looked horrified.

"You can't do that! It would make you miserable, you wouldn't!"

"I think we've already established the self-sacrificial part."

"Wait!" I pull out my cell and he leaps forward to grab it, but I hold it up out of his way, he grabs my arm and I turn so my side is touching his chest and I can push him away with my arm, he doesn't budge of course, he's just that much stronger than me I guess. He reaches for it with his other arm around me and I stand on my tippy toes as he tries to bend my arm a way he can get at it.

I laugh and he pauses to look down at me. I'm snickering with my hand dropping the cellphone. "It's a fake phone you dunce." He backs up all of a sudden. He looks appalled. His mouth is open and everything, it's great! I laugh so hard I can feel it agitate my poor throat. I start coughing so I stop, but I'm still smiling.

"Were you ever serious?" He flicks his tail as he stands there with his arms crossed and I shook my head, laughing and coughing more.

"Please, like I'd want to be stuck with you my whole life!"

"Don't do that to me I'll just find a way to hurt you again."

"It was worth it." I smirk at him and pick up my broken phone and put it in my pocket.

"Why do you have a fake phone anyway?"

"It's just broken, I've been meaning to trade it in but I haven't really had- oh god! I'm late!" I grab his arm and begin running down the street with him following leisurely beside me, like he could go way faster and not even break a sweat.

I dropped his arm when we got into my apartment and ran to change my clothes in my closet, running to the door before he grabbed me around the waist. "Where are you going?" He lifts his eyebrow.

"Lemme go! I have to get to work!" He huffed,

"You don't think you're leaving me here alone do you?"

"Oh god, don't tell me you'll rip up my furniture." I keep struggling and he finally just pulls me into his chest.

"I'm not staying here alone."

"Fine, you can come with me! But we have to go!" He lets me go and grabs me up into his arms, bridal style. "What are you-" He darts out the door, shuts it then darts out of the building, all in seconds.

"Where do I take you?" I looked around and pointed up the street,

"There's a big sign with an M on it, I work right next to that." He took off and suddenly we were there. He puts me down and I run for the front door with him following closely behind me. "I'm here! I'm sorry!" I ran to clock in and went to my post so my fill-in could go back to cooking.

Drago strolls up with his hands in his pockets and sniffs. He's standing in front of where I'm taking orders. "This is your job? God forbid I get bound to a human with any potential."

"Hey! I'm just waiting to find my dream job opening okay? This is not permanent, and how dare you mock me, I don't see YOU with a glamorous job."

"I don't need a job; I'll take over the world one day." My customers eyed him strangely and I smiled at them,  
"Don't worry, he's just delusional." He snorted smoke. "Uh, and a smoker. Quit that!" I smack him in the arm and whisper it.

"Dinwiddie, why were you late and who is this?" He came walking up and I turned to face my boss.  
"Um… well I had a problem come up that I had to take care of and he's… well I guess you'd call him… I don't know what he is sir."

"I'm her boyfriend." I snapped my head over to him, he was leaning casually over the counter, "She was at the hospital with me."

"Something happen?"

"I have a problem with spontaneous combustion." He lifted his hand and flame burst into his palm, then sputtered out. My boss was backing away, looking horrified. "Beat it." He ran back to his office and I sighed.

"Did you have to do that? He's probably calling 911."

"Let him, I've done nothing. They can only arrest you if you've done something, I've learned that."

"And what if he calls animal control or hazmat?"

"I can escape better than anyone. I've had a lot of practice."

"I'll just bet you have. And what's up with the boyfriend comment? Maybe I don't wanna date you metaphorically."

"Oh shut up, what else would you call me? I'm all ears." He shrugged and tilted his head so he could hear me better.

"You're a jackass." He chuckled darkly.

"As long as you're figuring that out I guess this isn't a total waste."

"What do you mean?" I look at him warily.

"I'm teaching a naïve human to look at people realistically instead of with rose colored glasses. That leaves me somewhat occupied."

"I'm going back to work, go sit somewhere."

I wait until it's closing time to look for him, I can't find him so I go outside to look. He's standing at the divider between the parking lot and the street. "Hey! I told you to sit somewhere not-…" I got to him and saw that his eyes were open, but they seemed to be looking far off. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were squared… he looked normal, but too still. "Drago, blink." He continued to stare straight ahead, and then he took a step forward, into the street. I gasped and grabbed him, pulling on him and digging my feet into the divider but he still moves forward slowly. "DRAGO!" I yell. I feel something ripping apart in my head and I let go of him to grab it. He starts walking leisurely across the road. I follow and thank god it's a red light. He starts in the direction of the road then and I'm cursing luck that he had to go that way. I didn't want to know what him getting hit with a car would feel like to me.

He started running and I couldn't keep up with him, so I stopped and ran to the side of the road, waiting for him to wake up and come back. I waited until I felt something rip really hard in my head. I screamed and held my head, suddenly I could see a fraying rope, it was made up of two colors and it was leading off the direction Drago had gone. I reach for it and when I grab it, I realize it's coming from my chest. It stops splintering and even fixes itself a little but it's stretching on and then… it stops. When I let go of it, it starts fraying again and my head feels like it's breaking apart, so I grab it and start running the direction he went. Who knows how long it could take to get to him, who knows how far he went?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

With Drago:

…

…

…

"Where the hell am I?" Drago wondered aloud as he looked over the small cavern of rock.

"You are in my lair." He jumped and looked around for the source of that voice. She came out of the back of the cave. She had the top of a woman and the bottom of a snake.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Tai Za"

"And I'm supposed to know from that?" She sighs,

"I am daughter of Bai Tza" Her tail wavered and suddenly became a pair of legs. She sauntered over to him and he backed away, wary of another half-demon and her intentions. "I have brought you here to break your bond with that human girl. It would have broken already but she's clinging to it, trying to follow you here."

"She is?" She lifts her hand and suddenly I'm in intense pain, my whole body is ripping apart, I yell, "Stop!" I fall to the ground, panting.

"You do not wish to be separated?" She looks disgruntled and stomps her foot. "That is unacceptable!"

"It hurts like death."

"Yes I suppose it would. But you can't possibly prefer being bound to that harpy."

"Harpy!?" He looks up and suddenly she's there, standing in the mouth of the cave, her hand holding onto something invisible in front of her body.

Nicole P.O.V.

"Harpy!?" I step inside and she hisses at me, he gets up on his hands and knees and pushes back his hood, looking back at me. "I think the one causing him so much pain should be called a harpy, how dare you!" I start walking towards him,

"How did you find me?" He flinches as his voice comes out husky and bruised sounding. He touches his throat and I realize it's been hard on me to speak too.

"I found this rope thing that connects me to you, and I followed it. It surprisingly only took a few minutes to get to the riverbank. You know, once I caught a ride." He snorted,

"What are you going to do? You're a weak human, you can't do anything to help me."

"I can tell you that grabbing the rope, fixes it. And she can't hurt you."

"God, what rope?" He stands up and his legs wobble a little.

"Here." I walk closer and she shrieks, ripping apart my eardrums, I grab my hears and writhe around, screaming. It suddenly stops so I look up and he's got his arm around her neck and his other hand is over her mouth. She waves her hand and he suddenly lets go, grabbing his head and growling.

I run over to her and yank on her hair, the only way I knew how to fight. She screeches and puts her hands up but I pull and pull until I notice the water level rising. I look at Drago and he's looking seriously upset at the water. He keeps pulling his leg up and shaking the water off of it before putting it down again. He's fire right? So he must hate water. I run over to him, letting go of her hair and grabbing his hand. Suddenly he lets go of his head with his other hand and we're both not in pain anymore. The water level is still rising. She's screeching and running at us, her claws going right for me. He steps in front of me growling and blows a smoke cloud into her face; she stops and puts her hands over her eyes, coughing. He blows a fireball at her then, and it burns her arms. She screams and runs to the water near the opening of the cave, diving in. Then the water starts rising fast. "Drago!? What's happening!?"

"She's going to drown us. We have to get out!" He drags me behind him but we can't exactly run in waist deep water so when we get to the opening, it's all closed up with water and when he bangs on it, it's solid. "Damn it, she's stronger than I thought." He puts his fingers together and starts chanting nonsense, the water stops growing but it stays as it is. He stops and it starts rising again, now it's to our chests. "God damn it!" He growls and puts his hands up as it reaches his shoulders. I wade in the water and lament that I'll never find that guy I'd been trying to find in the first place.

He grabs me and pulls me into his arms, looking around for another way out, I guess. He sees something then, because he's pulling me along behind him as he swims forward. I stop with him and we both look up. There's a circular opening, it's not blocked by water and she apparently didn't count on us finding it, but it's only big enough for one person. I look at him. He looks at me. "I'll climb up, you float up." I nod and he grabs the edge of the opening, pulling himself up step by step. I follow him as the water fills up faster and faster. He pulls himself out and reaches down for me, just as a monster wave crashes over him and blocks the hole with some kind of force field. I scream and bang on it; he's clawing at it and looks over as she comes swimming up to him. There's a big wave coming right at him.

"I knew you wouldn't get her out first. I'm so clever. Now she'll die and you'll be free. I can't wait." She giggles and reaches out to him, he claws her arm.

"You idiot! It might kill me if she dies!"

"I can bring you back from whatever brink you end up at." He looks down as the water closes over my head and I look back up at him with a resigned face. I mouth over the force field but it doesn't have even a single opening. I pull back and feel my eyes spill over, as my lungs begin to burn and my eyes start to haze over. He's yelling and holding his body, shivering. I watch as he falls to his side, and then everything is going dark.

(Cliffie? No! lol it's too short that way.)

I wake up with a cough, my body heaving and something warm on my lips. I get turned over as I start to cough up water and I let it all come spilling out of my lungs and stomach as I throw whatever lunch I had up too. I flop over and look up to see Drago sitting there, his face blankly determined. It was like a piece of him was missing. His mind or something. "Drago?" He didn't answer. He just looked back at me as I sat up, I started to shiver and he grabbed me, pulling me into his arms, rubbing my skin so I'd warm up. I pull back and he lets me go as I stand. He stands, following me as I grab his hand and lead him away from the beached body of the water demon that just tried to kill me. I'm limping a bit and coughing a lot but I get us back to the main street and put out my hand for a ride. I reach up and do up his hood. Someone with a big truck stops and asks if we need a ride somewhere. "Down to the antique shop, Uncle's Rare Finds?"

"Yeah I know the place; I pass it all the time, hop in back." I pull him after me and he lifts me up into the back, jumping in after me, surprisingly not even needing to touch anything.

He sits and wraps an arm around me as we drive and it takes only a few minutes to get back to the center of town, then another two minutes to get to the shop. I jump down and he follows me, I grab his hand and pull him into the shop, calling out for help as I enter and trip, falling. He catches me before I hit the ground and pulls me into his arms, walking into the room and watching Jackie as he came running to see if I was okay. "Are you alright? What happened!?"

"Drago… acting weird… Please see what's wrong." I cough some more and he calls for Uncle to come down.

"Why is bonded and demon dripping all over Uncle's antique carpets!"

"I… sorry. Drowned." He suddenly got so concerned and full of contrition as he looked me over.

"Uncle will need to do a diagnostic spell, bring her into Uncle's study, Drago." He followed the old man but otherwise said nothing. I was actually worried that he'd be stuck this way forever.

Uncle had him sit me down on a chair and then he started to chant something, putting his hands over my body and starting to glow a bright green. Drago hissed and backed away, covering his face and seeming to be hurting. "He is full of bad chi, good chi hurts him." I frown and push his hands away from me.

"Then how are you going to check and see what's wrong with him?"

"Uncle uses Good Chi, Jade uses Neutral chi." She suddenly walked in.

"What's going on in here?"

"Jade, you must see inside of Drago, there is something of him that is missing."

"What?" She walked over and he watched her but didn't sneer or glare or anything else angry or confrontational. "Wow, he's really out of it." She snapped in front of his face and he just stared at her. She sighed, "Okay, here goes." She put her hands up and started muttering something, "Tsu Te Ti Gua," She repeated it over and over again, moving her hand over his face and then his neck and chest. She stops at his stomach and sighs again. "He's not missing anything, I'm gonna check and see if he's got something wrong with his head." She puts it up to his face again and starts muttering again, moving her hands around his head and he watches her blankly. "Hm… I think his mind is being blocked by something. Uncle have you done the spell with his scale to see what kind of binding spell it was? It might be a side-effect." Wait, I might have done this to him? I felt so bad that he walked over and wrapped his arms around me. I tried to push him off but he kept his arms loosely looped around me.

"Uncle has done spell." I look up from Drago's lap and he holds out a small powdered brush which he dusts over my forehead. "You should get up now."

"What?"

"What the fuck-!?" I'm suddenly dropped on the ground and blinking up at an angry dragon. I smile gamely,

"All better now, drama queen?"

"Why am I here again!? Weren't you just drowning?" He looks at his claws, "Did I save you?"

"Sort of. Your body did. I think you knocked that woman out after you lost your mind. That's what was wrong right?" Jade sighed,

"His mind was trapped within yours, ready to die with you, that's what your death would mean to him, the death of himself. The death of his mind."

"Fuck. So I can't just kill her myself. Even if I could get past the pain."

"Nope." Jade smirks at him, "But why would you want to, she's pretty and smart and nice, why not just give up on getting unbound, she's just your opposite, and you know what they say about oppos-"

"Don't finish. That sentence." He glares back at her and she's grinning from ear to ear,

"What are you gonna do about it lizard face?"

"Is that the best you can do? Brat?" He banters back.

"Yup, Scale butt."

"Bitch."

"Oooh put a quarter in the swear jar!"

"You are so juvenile."

"I'm not hearing any more insults, are we done being mean to each other?" I didn't like this back-and-forth. I don't know why but it gave me a weird feeling in my gut.

"Can we get back to the problem at hand; you know how we both ended up almost dead?" Drago raised an eyebrow and she frowned,  
"Oh yeah, how DID that happen?"

After we were done explaining what had happened and I didn't understand any of it, they began explaining to me about the eight demon sorcerers. At first I was skeptical, but then I looked at Drago and it sort of clicked. I mean he had to come from somewhere right? "Okay so let me get this all straight, Your father." I pointed at Drago, "Has seven super siblings that all tried to take over the world together, and your dad tried multiple times to bring them back but was thwarted by Jackie and Uncle… and then you tried to take over the world but your father said, 'No way are you taking over earth, that's my job' and fought you until you got thrown into the demon world."

"Yes." He growls bitterly.

"Okay, and now there's a daughter of Bai Tza or whatever, that wants to free Drago by killing me."

"Hopefully I killed her, since I don't remember, I'll assume she survived. Half-demons are extremely hard to kill."

"I don't think she was dead… she didn't really… seem flopped right for that. Anyway, so… you guys have all known each other for years?"

"We knew each other, didn't really stay in touch, and we were on opposite sides anyway."

"Wait wait, if you almost took over the world, how come nobody ever talked about it."

"You remember that earthquake that nearly destroyed all of San Francisco?"

"Yeah."

"That was a cover-up. Drago destroyed everything."

"How?" He snorted smoke and fire,

"I had more power before. I'll have to start looking for another way to gain power while I'm here in case I'm stuck for a while."

"Not while the J-Team is around."

"I see two old farts and a teenager. Not much of a challenge."

"Ha! Paco grew up and he's almost as strong as his mentor, Viper still fights and Jackie has totally still got game."

"I still think I could take you." She snorts,

"You wanna go gecko?" Again I felt weird in my stomach so I stood up and walked to the door.

"I'm not watching this back-and-forth again." He ran after me.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired, I almost drowned and had to get you here and get your brain back and… god I'm so tired." He picked me up suddenly and we flashed to my apartment in seconds. He put me down on the couch and shut my front door, locking it up and walking over to lift my head and lay it down on his lap. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"If you're so much as uncomfortable it affects me, stupid." I frown,

"Sorry." He mutters with a growl and looks away.

"You really hate being good? Why did you pick being evil? Evil never really wins. Maybe a battle or two, but not the war."

"I'm only looking to win a battle, I'm not looking to make all humans evil or something, I just want to rule them."

"Why is that such a big thing for your family?"

"It used to be so easy, now that it's not-"

"It's like forbidden fruit." He looks down at me with a question all over his face. "You know you probably can't have it, so you want it more." He huffed,

"Pretty much."

"Don't you get anything out of this arrangement?"

"My firepower is back. I'm faster and stronger… I don't know what else, but it's useless if I can't use it to its full potential."

"You mean you can't hurt people because I don't like it."

"Hm." He nods.

"Well I am sorry I make you do things you don't like, but I'm not sorry you can't hurt anybody. And besides." I smile, "At least this way I can get to know you without you killing me off." He looked blank in a very 'You're a dunce' way so I asked, "What?"

"You get to know me? Like you think that's a good thing? Didn't I teach you to hate me yet?"

"Nope. Sorry but it's awfully hard to make me hate someone."

"Obviously since I tried to kill you already."

"And saved my life."

"I had to, and I was a mindless shell, it doesn't count." I laugh and he flips me off his lap onto the ground as he stands up. "If you'll excuse me I'm going to get out of these clothes and take a shower."

"Hey! I need to use the shower too!" He stopped and looked back with a smirk,

"Are you offering to join me?"

"Hell no!" I bark and duck down so he can't see me below the coffee table. He roars with laughter and steps into the bathroom.

"Then stop whining."

I wait angrily, getting more annoyed as time goes by and hear him bust out laughing several times as my anger peaks. Apparently my anger didn't hurt him at all. When he came out, I turned to glare at him and my mouth fell open. He had a towel over his head and waist but was devoid of any chest covering and I could swear I drooled a little before shaking my head and turning back around with my face glowing. "Is there any hot water left?" He snorted,

"I tried to run it out but apparently you've got a huge water heater." How did he even know about human things if he was a demon? Ah I don't care. I'm trying my hardest not to look back at him. He was certainly half human that was for sure. He stalks over to stand in front of me and I glare up at him as he smirks down at me and dries the rest of his head.

"Problem?" I wondered if he could sense my embarrassment and then thought, oh to hell with it.

"Put some clothes on." I stand up and brush past him, walking into the bathroom and closing the door, locking it. I sigh as I settle against the door and decide a cold shower could be good for me.

I stalk over to the tub and turn on the water, taking off my clothes and jumping into the lukewarm water. I was instantly regretting it and turning up the heat. I scrubbed my hair and body and rinsed off before I heard a small noise. I opened the curtain and saw the knob settle on the door. Ha! I grin to myself and rinse out my hair, turning off the water and stepping out to put on a towel and dry my hair. It was yellow-blond so it was pretty unremarkable, but when it was wet, it looked golden. I wished my hair could be that color all the time. But anytime I died it another shade of blonde it just didn't work right. So I gave up on it and just left it the way it was after a while.

I open the door, he was sitting on the floor in front of it with his eyes closed and his legs crisscrossed, his hands in a position that I took to mean he was meditating. He opened an eye and looked at me, closing it he got up and walked into my room after grabbing his clothes from the sink and I stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "I can wash those if you want."

"Fine." He gave them to me and I walked into the laundry room off the kitchen and put them in the washer, putting in some detergent and waiting while the water filled it up before I closed the lid. When I turned around, he was leaning in the doorway, his arm curled up around his head like some kind of supermodel pose, and I fell for it. I felt my mouth drop open so I slammed it shut and glared at him.

"Out of the way." He moved so I'd have to brush him as I passed and gestured for me to go ahead. He looked expectant and had a raised eyebrow. "Is this just how you get your kicks? Are you just gonna tease me to death and hope you don't die with me?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." He looked so blank that I started past him. His other hand shot out to grab an end of my towel. I gripped it over my front but it fell off my back and he was behind me pulling me close before I could get away.

I grit my teeth, "Stop treating me like your favorite toy!"

"Don't flatter yourself, you're not my favorite."

"I suppose that would be Jade then." He paused, and then he laughed.

"Are you jealous?"

"No!" I tried to jerk away from him but he wrapped his arms firmly around me and I could feel the towel around his waist covering me up and stopped panicking as long as I could to try and think of some way out of this. Oh! Pain! So I pulled my hand up and bit it as hard as I could. I started bleeding and he hissed, backing away from me. I ran for my room and locked the door.

"You can't run from me forever!"

"Why are you even doing this to me, don't you hate humans!?"

"They're good for a few things." He mocks.

I get dressed and walk out into the front room; he's sitting, still in his towel, watching TV. I stalk to the washer and put his clothes into the dryer. Why was I even doing this again? Oh right, cause he'd probably walk around in dirty clothes, he seemed perfectly happy to. I sighed and took his clothes to him when they were done drying. "What took so long?" He stood up and grabbed his towel; I screamed and ran back into my room while he laughed at me.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I woke up and again he was in my bed, his arms wrapped around me. I sighed and turned to flick him on the forehead. He flinched and his eyes opened. "I knew you weren't asleep. What the hell are you doing in here again!?"

"I don't like the couch, and it's cold." He buries his face in my neck. I swallow hard and try to push him off, but he just tightens his grip. "God, Drago don't you have any shame?"

"Nope." He breathed on my neck and I shuddered a little.  
"Well at least respect my personal space!"

"You can't honestly tell me this isn't comfortable for you." I opened my mouth and realized he was right, I felt warm and cozy and I didn't really want him to move.

"Fine so it's comfortable, that doesn't mean you should be- WHAT THE FUCK!?" He'd bitten my neck just a little but enough so I could feel how razor sharp his teeth were. I felt little pinpricks of blood and he swiped them up with his tongue. It was like half rough half super smooth and it made my body writhe in discomfort and something else. "Okay, definitely no biting! Cut it out!" He was sucking up the blood now and I couldn't seem to get him to stop.

"It seems that as long as you enjoy it a little I don't HAVE to stop." My eyes widened,

"No, Stop stop!" I thrash around and try to get him off me but he just tightens up and wraps his legs around mine so I can't move.

"It's not hurting you, so shut up."

"I am not your toy or your snack!"

"Funny… you taste pretty good." He bites me again and I scream, he smacks a hand over my mouth and I'm thrashing as he laps up the blood again. My feet kick and suddenly my knee goes up- and he rolls over with a pained groan. I gasped and bolted out of bed.

"You jerk! I'm locking my door with a deadbolt tomorrow night!" He rolls back over and gets up,

"You say that like you didn't enjoy it."

"I. Did. Not. Enjoy. THAT."

"Liar."

"Okay, you know what, you've earned this." He looks confused when I walk for the bathroom, I turn on the hot water till I can't stand it and very quickly put my hand in then pull it out, gasping. He hisses and gnaws on his arm where I burn and growls at me. I shut the water off and splash some at his face. He cringes back and then steps forward menacingly. I step forward too and we're suddenly eye to eye, glaring at each other. He let go of his arm to lean farther forward and hiss,

"I can make you beg for me and give you nothing!"

"Ha! Like anyone would be interested in a freak like you." He suddenly stood up straight and looked shocked.

"I know you like the way I look, I have enhanced senses, I could tell."

"Just because you pick up a signal doesn't mean I'm letting that particular signal out on purpose."

"If that had made you uncomfortable at all I wouldn't have been able to do it!"

"So you say." I cross my arms and blink blankly at him. "Personally I think you were going to rape me no matter what I felt to stop you."

"I-" He looked angry and confused and all around unhappy. I frowned at that.

"What's wrong? Where's the snappy comeback?" He suddenly snapped back to himself and looked just plain angry. He stomped back into the dining room off the living area and sat at the table with his head in his hands.

I walked in to make breakfast and just let him stew. Now I knew how to handle him if I had a knee free so I felt a little better. Because he was right, I had liked it a little, but I wasn't going to let him force me into something I wasn't ready for in any way. Yep you read that right, I'm a virgin. I had been putting it off since I hadn't found a guy who wouldn't push me around yet. Drago was supposed to have been that guy but when I woke up, it was just the opposite. He was the pushiest guy there was. I sigh as I stir the eggs and feel arms wrap around my shoulders as I close my eyes. I let myself stay put for a few seconds, then I shrug and he lets go. "What are you thinking about that has you so melancholy? Stop it."

"Sorry. No wait, I'm NOT sorry. I should be torturing you after what you tried to do. Why should I be sorry!?" I was angrily chopping up the eggs with the spatula now and he grabbed my hand,

"Stop," He was laughing, "Anger tickles my insides."

"What?" Well that sucked, so if I had to do something to him it couldn't be getting angry. I'd have to cry or something.

"Why do you think I haven't kowtowed to you when you're angry yet? Your safety and happiness is all I'm concerned with. Anger, Passion, they just flutter in my insides to let them know they're there."

"What does depression do?"

"Don't know yet, and I don't want to know."

"I might be more inclined to help you out if you didn't pick on me." He sighed,

"Fine, no more picking. Stop thinking about sad things."

"Deal."

Apparently he didn't consider hitting on me, 'picking' on me. All day he was coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my shoulder to watch what I was doing with an innocent face. I'd sigh, stop moving for a moment to roll my eyes and then shrug him off and keep doing what I was doing. He'd stand next to me, so our arms would touch and watch as I drew and colored a reference image for a boy with supernatural powers but a normal appearance. "You said this kid is powerful right?"

"Yeah."

"Then make him look it, people are used to the people in movies being normal looking or good-looking, make him look scary."

"You mean like you?" I looked up at him quizzically. He gave me a blank-ish glare and said,

"Yes. Like me."

"So what, give him sharp teeth and a bad attitude?" He snorts,

"Fine. Give him characteristics of his power. What does he do?"

"He's a firestarter." He grins,

"That I know. Just give him scales and horns like a dragon." I sighed and pulled out a piece of paper, then I sketched Drago's face and then pulled another paper and sketched the boy's face.

"What are you-?" I put my hand up and put them on my projector next to me and turned the light on so I could start tracing lines until I had a boy with scales and horns, hair and bright blue eyes that shone red in the light. His hair I colored black cause I imagine that's what color Drago's would be. Then I color his skin a dark green with highlights of yellow. He leans down close to look at it. "Much better."

"I agree, thanks." I start coloring in the background and doing several poses with his clothing pretty much copied off of Drago's style. He started to snicker,

"I didn't say to make him into ME."

"Well you're the only dragon-hybrid I know okay?... wait a minute." I just realized something.

"You look… well are you part demon part dragon?" He blinks and then looks off to the side.

"My mother was human, my father was fire demon. Fire demons ARE dragons."

"But why do you hate humans if you're half human?" He slammed his hands down onto the table. His shoulders were hunched and he looked more angry than I'd ever seen him.

"Don't remind me." He growls.

"What did your mother do to you?" He roared and looked down at me,

"She left me alone." He stalked back into the front room and sat down, turning on the TV.

It was a while before I felt like I could be in his sight and he wouldn't lash out at me. I sat down next to him and leaned into him, as if asking for permission to be close to him. It was so not me. And yet, when he wrapped his arm around me, I felt completely at ease. I was happy. And then his head drooped and I realized he was on the verge of sleep. So I sighed and pulled him up from the couch, pulling him with me as I went to my room. "You can sleep in here, but no biting!"

"Fine…" He groaned sleepily. I lay down after he did and suddenly he pounced on me,

"Gotcha!" Oh god. His arms and legs were trapping mine as his tongue flicked my ear. I groaned in abject disappointment in myself.

"How could I fall for something so stupid?"

"I was tired, I just didn't think it would lead to this." He laughed. I couldn't help myself, I smiled.

"Fine, but you know what this means."

"What?"

"I can make you feel VERY uncomfortable as payback."

"Don't even."

"Oh I'm thinking about dead puppies!" I made a whining, crying sound and started thinking about anything that would make me sad and soon I was on the verge of really crying. He pulled his arms and legs back,

"Fine, stoppit!"

We eventually fell asleep and when I woke up, again his arms and legs were around me and tangled up with mine. I sighed and went as much to sleep as I could while I waited for him to wake up so I could get up. I eventually fell asleep again and woke up to find him gone. I yawned and got up, walking into my closet to change into my lounging clothes. It was Sunday so I was still off work. I walked into the main room… he's not there. So I walk into the bathroom. Not there either. Kitchen, no. Back door, he's not there. Laundry room, no. I start getting panicked, because… he can't be out! He's gonna get caught and I'm never gonna see him again and I'll get so cold and hurt inside if he's hurt! And then I realize I'm freaking out and he'll come home if nothing else than to bark at me to quit it. "What are you doing." I screech and jump a little and turn to see him coming in from outside.

"N-nothing!"

"Why are you freaking out?"

"I-I…" The phone rang and I dived for it, so embarrassed my face felt like it was on fire. "Hello!?"

"Hey baby, wanna go to the club tonight?" I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at it, then it was swiped out of my hand.

"Who the hell is this?" He could hear that?

"Drago, what are you-" He gave me a glare that shut me up, real fast.

"She's in, she just doesn't need to talk to you." He narrowed his eyes and looked at me, I felt myself sweating for some reason. "Yes, I am." He blinked when the yelling started and growled into the phone, "Come near her, and I kill you." He hung up and asked me, "Did you know you have a stalker?"

"What?"

"He knew you had a guy in your place for the past few days, following you around, so apparently he's been following you too."

"Who was he?"

"Don't care, I'll know him when I see him, bad chi gives off certain signals. And he was full of it. I'll watch for him next time I'm out with you." He puts the phone back in its charger cradle and I'm still staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing you just… nevermind." I didn't want to say that he was acting like my knight in shining armor when I knew he had to do it or be in pain. It felt like such a lie, but part of me was just happy he was filling that slot in my life and didn't care why.

"I don't even know how you didn't notice someone following you, but I guess you don't really notice anything outside your personal space."

"I do too!"

"Name something about this room you noticed without looking around." I blinked and my mind went blank. "Like I thought."

He and I vegged on the couch most of the afternoon, he was looking out the window a lot and I wondered what he was looking for. Though my question was answered when he got up off the couch and walked into my room. He came out with that hoodie and those sweatpants on and put up the hood, "I'll be right back." He walked outside and I watched him walk around the corner. I lived on the outskirts of the city so there shouldn't have been anyone around but when the car started up and sped off, I knew Drago had probably just scared off my stalker. I felt a shiver that he might have been looking through my windows with binoculars and spying on us. It creeped me out to new heights and… what if he saw Drago in his uncovered form? What if he called somebody and he got captured? So I went to the door and watched until he came walking back around the corner from behind the trees and started heading for the door. I walked back to the recliner and couch and sat down on the middle of the cushions.

He walked in and jumped over the back of the couch to land beside me. He yanked the hood off over his head and sighed, "Why anyone would want to follow you around is beyond me."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You don't DO anything besides work and hang out around your house."

"I do way more than that! I just can't leave you alone in the house remember?"

"Then take me with you." He crossed his arms and glared at me,

"No way, my friends would freak if they saw you."

"Then I'll wear heavier clothes and makeshift shoes. Just take me somewhere so I'm not bored off my ass."

"Fine!"


End file.
